Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Sangram Parishad blocks Dhaka-Rangpur highway near the rail crossing in front of 20-MW power plant in the town yesterday to press the demand for upgrading Rangpur municipality to a city corporation.Photo: STAR

Jatiya Party (Ershad) backed Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Committee has called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the district today demanding upgradation of Rangpur municipality to a city corporation.
The organisation yesterday brought out a procession in the town and then held a rally in Shala Chattar area.
Former lawmaker Moshiur Rahman Ranga, also the convener of Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Committee, Rangpur Sadar Upazila Parishad Chairman Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa, also the secretary general of the body, and Rangpur municipality Mayor AKM Abdur Rouf Manik addressed the rally.
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad at a rally here on April 8 urged the government to upgrade Rangpur municipality to a city corporation by May 15. Otherwise, he threatened to launch a tougher agitation programme in the district.
Ranga in his speech said they called for the hartal as the government did not met the demand within the deadline. He urged Rangpur people to make today's daylong hartal a success.
Meanwhile, Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Sangram Parishad yesterday blocked Rangpur-Dhaka highway and rail route in the town to put pressure on the government to declare Ragpur town a city corporation through a gazette notification.
The blockade programme continued for an hour from 11:30am.
Different organisations in the district had earlier observed programmes to realise the demand for upgrading Rangpur municipality to a city corporation.
On May 12, local unit of the ruling Awami League under the banner of Rangpur Unnayon Samonnoy Parishad formed a human chain in front of Rangpur Press Club.
The Sangram Parishad led by former lawmaker Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhontu observed a token hunger strike in front of the press club on May 20. The parishad also besieged Rangpur Pourasava office on May 24.